Ginkgo Bonsai Care Guide (Ginkgo biloba)

Ginkgo biloba, also known as the maidenhair tree

Read this alongside our general Bonsai Care Guide. That covers the basics every bonsai needs. This guide covers what's different about ginkgos, and there's more than you might expect.

Why you'll love it

• A living fossil: the ginkgo has been around for roughly 200 million years
• Fan-shaped leaves unlike any other tree
• Butter-yellow autumn colour, followed by a clean winter silhouette
• Tough, frost hardy and almost never troubled by pests
• A good first deciduous bonsai, as long as it is kept outside

What kind of tree this is to live with

Ginkgo are tough and slow growing, and it helps to understand both up front.

Tough, because it handles heat, cold and the odd missed watering better than most bonsai. Pests and disease rarely bother it. Ginkgos will shrug off a Melbourne winter without a second thought.

Slow, because a ginkgo does most of its growing in one push each spring, then mostly holds still for the rest of the season. It also doesn't readily sprout new buds from older, bare wood. That means you should not hard-prune a ginkgo and expect it to fill back in, the way you would an elm or a fig. You shape it with restraint and time rather than big cuts.

The good news is that a ginkgo already knows what shape it wants to be. Most look best grown upright and tall, in a natural flame or candle shape. Work with that and it's an easy tree to love and maintain.

Position

Outdoors, always. A ginkgo needs the seasons: warmth to grow, and a cold winter rest to reset. Indoors is a visit, not an address. A night inside for a dinner party is fine. A week on a windowsill is the start of a slow decline.

• Spring and autumn: full sun or morning sun is ideal.
• Summer: morning sun and afternoon shade. Hot north winds and 35°C+ afternoons can scorch the leaf edges brown.
• Winter: leave it outside. If a hard frost is forecast, move the pot against a wall or under the eaves. Roots in a pot are more exposed than roots in the ground.

Watering

Ginkgos have thick, fleshy roots that don't like sitting wet. Water when the top centimetre of soil is just dry, then soak until it runs out the bottom, twice over.

• Summer: check every day. A small pot in full leaf can dry out by afternoon.
• Winter: a bare tree drinks very little. Check every few days and water only when the top is dry. Don't let it go bone dry, even when dormant.

Feeding

• Start once the new leaves have fully opened in spring.
• Use a balanced liquid fertiliser at half strength every two weeks, or a slow-release bonsai fertiliser as directed.
• Stop by early autumn so the tree can harden off and colour up.
• No feeding over winter or for a month after repotting.

Pruning

This is where ginkgos differ most from other bonsai, so go gently.

• New shoots: let the spring shoots grow out and firm up, then cut them back to two or three leaves in late spring or early summer.
• Structural pruning: late winter, before the buds swell. Only remove what you're sure of, because a ginkgo won't reliably regrow from the stub.
• Cuts heal slowly. Seal anything larger than a pencil with cut paste.
• Never defoliate. Some bonsai are stripped of leaves to force a second flush. A ginkgo often won't produce one, and you'd lose a season of growth.

Wiring

Ginkgo bark is thin and marks easily, and older branches can snap rather than bend. If you wire, use light wire on young shoots in spring or summer and check it every couple of weeks. For most trees, pruning alone gives a better, more natural shape.

Repotting

Every two to three years, in early spring as the buds start to swell. In Melbourne that's usually September.

• Handle the fleshy roots gently and trim them lightly. Ginkgos recover more slowly from root work than most trees.
• Use a free-draining bonsai mix, never regular potting soil.
• A slightly deeper pot suits the tall, upright shape and gives those roots a little room.
• Keep the tree out of strong sun and wind for two to three weeks while it settles.

Autumn, leaf drop and the long wait for spring

This is the part that worries new owners most.

In autumn, a ginkgo turns butter yellow and then drops its leaves, often all within a few days. That's normal and one of the best things about the tree. Enjoy it.

Over winter the tree will look bare and lifeless. It isn't. If you're unsure, gently scratch a twig with a fingernail. Green underneath means it's alive.

Ginkgos are also late risers. They're often among the last trees to leaf out in spring, sometimes well into October. Give it time before you worry, and keep watering lightly in the meantime.

Through the year in Melbourne

Season	What to focus on
Spring (Sep–Nov)	Repot as buds swell if due. Start feeding once leaves open. Let new shoots grow out. Be patient if it's slow to leaf
Summer (Dec–Feb)	Check water daily. Shade from hot afternoons and north winds. Cut firmed-up shoots back to two or three leaves
Autumn (Mar–May)	Stop feeding. Enjoy the colour. Let leaves drop naturally. Ease back on watering
Winter (Jun–Aug)	Leave it outside. Water sparingly. Structural pruning in late winter. Shelter the pot from hard frost

Common worries

What you see	Likely cause	What to do
Leaves turn yellow and drop in autumn	The normal seasonal change	Nothing. This is the show
Leaves yellow or brown in summer	Too dry, too hot, or waterlogged roots	Check the soil. Soak if dry, let it dry out if soggy, and move out of afternoon sun
Brown, crispy leaf edges	Afternoon sun or hot wind	Move to a spot with afternoon shade on hot days
No leaves yet in early spring	Ginkgos leaf out late	Do the scratch test. Keep watering lightly and wait
Weak, sparse growth year after year	Kept indoors, too little light, or no winter cold	Move it outside permanently into good light
Pruned branch hasn't regrown	Ginkgos rarely bud from old wood	Leave it be. Plan future cuts so a leaf or bud remains below the cut

If this is your first bonsai

Ignore most of the above for now. In year one, only four things really matter:

1. Keep it outside.
2. Check the water every day, and water until it runs out the bottom, twice over.
3. Feed it from spring to early autumn, then stop.
4. Don't panic when the leaves drop. It's meant to happen, and it'll be back in spring.

The pruning, wiring and repotting sections will still be here when you're ready for them.

Why we love it

A ginkgo connects you to something very old. It's the last of a family of trees that once grew across the world, and it's barely changed since the dinosaurs. As a bonsai it gives you four distinct seasons on a single tree, and an autumn moment that stops people in their tracks. It's hardy enough to learn on, and it rewards patience more than skill.

If you'd like help choosing a bonsai, or the right pot to set yours off, pop into the store in South Yarra. We'd love to help you find your match.